Like attracts like, and people of a feather flock together.
Our ancestors' saying truly held no falsehoods.
Given Qian Xin's duplicity, I didn't utter a single word about rules. I simply waved at Shi Jianguo, "Brother Shi, could you please fetch two sets of dice cups!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Jianguo immediately retrieved two sets of dice cups from a drawer behind the bar.
Seemingly displeased that I had ignored him, Qian Xin frowned and said, "Kid, don't rely on…"
Before Qian Xin could finish, I interrupted him, saying coldly, "Since you're setting the method of play, then you might as well set the rules as well!"
"I don't care either way!"
Hearing this, Xiao Shan, who was spectating nearby, immediately shouted, "Brother Xin, why are you being polite to him!"
"Just play the game you're best at, get an early win! Let them see some blood!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, I saw Qian Xin turn and glare at Xiao Shan.
I could sense that Qian Xin was displeased with Xiao Shan's thoughtless behavior.
Con artists should ideally be inscrutable. Xiao Shan, however, was the complete opposite.
This guy wore his emotions on his sleeve.
Perhaps it was because his attempt to test me had failed, but at this moment, Qian Xin dropped all pretense and spoke directly, "In that case, let's play the way they do in the casinos: listen to the dice and bet! We'll start with three dice."
"If both sides guess the correct total and the size of the dice rolled by the other, we'll add one die to our respective cups in each subsequent round."
"During the game, if either side guesses incorrectly, whether it's the size or the total… we don't need to continue comparing."
"Deal!"
I agreed without hesitation.
The so-called "listening to the dice and betting" was nothing more than guessing the size and the total.
After arranging the dice, a chilling curve instantly appeared on Qian Xin's lips. He looked straight at me and smiled, "Who goes first?"
Upon hearing this, I directly gestured for him to go first.
The moment I gestured, Qian Xin's hand holding the dice cup instantly moved downwards.
Then, with a swift motion, he raised the cup, and three dice were directly placed into his dice cup.
Qian Xin's action of scooping the dice was very much like the skilled dice players in gambling movies, elegant and dashing.
Of course, Qian Xin was undoubtedly a master.
Otherwise, that Brother Feng wouldn't have let him take the lead.
At this moment, Qian Xin had already scooped the dice and was beginning to shake them…
As anyone who has watched gambling movies knows, there's a detail about the six faces of a die. Each face has very subtle differences.
The sound produced when each different face strikes the inside of the dice cup is different.
While the six faces of a die are the same size, their raised and recessed surfaces are different.
Because of these differences in raised and recessed surfaces, the stress distribution on the six faces is also different.
Such minute differences are imperceptible to most people, except for con artists.
Of course, if one is determined to learn to discern dice by sound, it can be achieved through continuous effort and practice.
I, for one, learned to listen to dice with Uncle Tuo's training and help.
Even though Uncle Tuo had three fingers chopped off and a leg broken, it didn't stop him from being incredibly skilled!
Take dice as an example.
Uncle Tuo could accurately calculate how many times the dice spun in the cup, and which face was up and which was down on each rotation.
As for the total… that was child's play!
The difference in skill among con artists stems from the fact that for many of the same cheating techniques, each person's level of practice and research is entirely different. Talent accounts for one part, effort for nine.
If you lack that one part of talent, you must put in eleven, or even twelve parts of effort!
This is because most people do not possess that one part of talent.
Therefore, only through diligent training can one compensate for lack of natural ability.
Actually, I used to not believe in things like discerning dice by sound.
I naively thought that everything depicted in movies was fake.
But Uncle Tuo's appearance made me understand and realize that it wasn't movies and television that were fake, but rather life… that was fake!
The truth that is accessible to the general public is not the real truth!
Getting sidetracked, let's get back to the point.
While I was slightly lost in thought, with three consecutive "pa pa pa" sounds, Qian Xin had finished scooping and placing the dice.
The moment he covered the cup, Qian Xin immediately looked up at me and asked, "Guess, kid. What total did I roll?"
I didn't look at Qian Xin. Instead, I held up my hand to indicate "6" and replied, "123, six is low!"
The moment my words fell, Qian Xin first took a deep breath, and then a look of shock and fear appeared in his eyes.
Strike while the iron is hot!
Ignoring Qian Xin's expression, without a second's delay, I immediately grabbed the dice cup, swept up the dice on the table, and began to shake them with increased speed.
Although my movements weren't as fluid and graceful as Qian Xin's, practicality was all that mattered!
The moment I picked up the dice cup and drew a swift arc, Qian Xin, whose composure had just settled, suddenly showed a look of panic on his face.
As the saying goes: a true expert reveals their skill with their first move!
Even though my initial movements were not flashy, from the moment I drew that arc, Qian Xin could already gauge my level.
He knew I was going to be difficult to deal with.
In fact, from the moment Brother Feng said they would switch to dice for the first round, all my actions were aimed at waiting for this very moment to deliver a fatal blow to Qian Xin!
Because besides poker, dice were what I excelled at the most!
Whether it was listening or shaking, I was proficient in both!
I knew that if I had appeared anxious from the start, that Brother Feng would definitely have come up with some other trick.
So now, it was my turn to counterattack!
Since Qian Xin was showing off and taking the initiative, I would conceal my strength and wait for the opportune moment to strike!
...
One minute later.
As my hand gradually lowered, I prepared to scoop the cup.
"Pa!"
The cup landed, making a sound.
Before I could even speak, Xiao Shan, the most anxious member of the cheating group, immediately came to Qian Xin's side and directly asked, "How is it, Brother Xin?"
"Do you have a chance to hear it?"
Qian Xin ignored Xiao Shan and instead glanced at me with a dark expression.
After a pause of about ten seconds, Qian Xin took a deep breath and then said grimly, "114, six is low."
After speaking, Qian Xin pointed at the dice cup, signaling me to reveal it.
I remained silent regarding Qian Xin's answer and simply lifted the dice cup.
The moment the dice cup was opened, both groups present simultaneously revealed subtle and varied expressions.